Tinubu has done more in health sector than any other governments, says UBTH CMD, Obaseki

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof. Darlington Obaseki, has said president Bola Tinubu administration has done more in the healthcare sector than any of the governments in the recent times.

He disclosed this when he received the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State council at the UBTH in Benin.

Obaseki said that the president passion for the wellbeing of Nigerians as regards their health status, is evidence in the installation of a Radiotherapy Machine at the hospital.

Obaseki said the facility, on till now, was not found in the South-South region of the country but that the president has given a marching order and he is supervising its installation at the hospital.

“So, we have been fighting. There is no single Radiotherapy machine in the whole of the South-South, Nigeria. I think there is one in a private hospital in Calabar and I think that is all and there is none in government hospitals.

“So, I have been fighting and fortunately, this new minister, this president, we must give credit to him. Some of you are not happy, but this government of President Bola Tinubu when it comes to health, I have been here for almost eight years now, nobody has supported healthcare in the area of funding more than this government.

“That is the honest truth. It is not a political talk. The budget for health this year, people are not talking about it, it is massive across all hospitals, across the Ministry of Health, across all the agencies of the Ministry of Health. It’s massive and the benefits will manifest shortly and that is part of what we are using now”, Obaseki said.

The CMD said the strategic location of the hospital has predisposed it to an influx of patients on a daily basis and which they cannot turn down adding that, this eventually leads to more work on the few available hands in the hospital.

“We have 750 nurses. How many patients do we have in the wards now? 491. That’s close to 500 patients. So, think about it. How does 750 nurses look after 500 patients? Don’t forget they have to do shifts. There are three shifts morning, afternoon, and evening. So, if you share that 750, you first of all, divide it by three. So we are dealing with 250.

“And not all of them are looking after patients in the wards. Some of them are doing theater, some of they are doing clinic. So, you can see the dilemma that we are in,” Obaseki added.

Speaking on what should be looked out for while picking the next CMD after his tenure in office, he said people should be quick to ask about their antecedents and their contributions to the hospital over the years, stressing that, whoever that wants to take over from him, should be the one who can build on his legacies and take the hospital to a greater height and not to crumble it.

“You mentioned sustainability. That is where some of you have to come in.

“We are in a transition stage. I will be handing over in August 17th. That’s my terminal date. So my prayer should be that, like you said, we are able to sustain this.

“For me, a lot of persons are going to come to meet you and start giving you materials to write against one thing or the other. Please do your homework.

“Those who have never invested in this hospital. You don’t even know whether they work here. There are many of them. Suddenly, you now hear that they work here. Some of you start asking, this person works here? Ask questions.

“The MD of ITV, my cousin, Elvis Obaseki. I met him somewhere and he was asking me, this person works here?

“And a lot of them now want to be CMD. It is not about tribes but it is about who can keep this hospital going.The person who has been part and parcel of this vision of this process. That is my plea to you.

“Ask questions. What have you done in UBTH since the time you have been there and now you want to be the head?

“Please, that is all I ask. Ask them questions. You have been in UBTH, you have been a professor in UBTH, you are a doctor in UBTH, so, what have been your contributions in UBTH? He asked rhetorically.

Earlier, the Chairman of NUJ, Festus Alenkhe, while stating why the courtesy on the CMD, commended the him for his immense initiatives that have placed the hospital on the global map, noticeably the 50th anniversary celebration of the hospital that drew notable personalities from all walks of life to the hospital.

Alenkhe also commended cordial relationship that has existed between the union and the hospital management, just as he calls for its sustenance.